Thanks so much for visiting us during our journey, Steve, Allison, Sean, Megan, Ryan and Katelyn!
June 24, 2008
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined
to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.
-An Ancient Chinese Belief
This morning Katelyn Hua continued to do o.k., but sad and not speaking (this is actually a good sign of her mourning the loss of her nanny, which will then allow her to attach to us as replacements). She is interacting with Sean, and has warmed up to Mom...but she is not sure of Dad yet (exhibiting a good sense of character judgment some would say). We had breakfast (she ate lots of watermelon), and has multiple appointments for the adoption process. She got upset when she saw the orphanage nanny at the first meeting, but it didn't last long. She smiled for the first time at one of the meetings with a government official (the timing was good for receiving their approval for the adoption).
After the meetings were over, we enjoyed the rest of the morning at the local Nanning Museum to learn more about her heritage and the province. Bronze drums are significant and date back 2000 years in southern China, and especially in the Guangxi Province. The bronze drums are cultural relics of ethnic groups as symbols of power and wealth. Just as we did with Ryan in his province, we purchased keep sakes of her culture including a hand-made dress adorned with local icons.
After a quick lunch, Katie napped with her new favorite doll...both slept well as Sean went swimming (when Sean and Steve left the room to swim, she became upset that we were not there, but slowly fell asleep with Allison's caressing). More shopping before dinner for clothes and sandals, an enjoyable dinner, seeing some of the local city lights at dusk, and off to bed. All in all, a good day, making progress with her attaching to our family.
Sean Says:
The best part of the day was the Guangxi Museum. I loved the large bronze drums. Katelyn likes to hold my hand and chooses to sit near me when she can, but she is still quiet. The worst part of the day was the HOT and HUMID weather, especially after it rained in the evening.
